We’re sharing the full-day experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom inside Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. We share tips to maximize your day at Disney to see the best and do it all. From Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest to Na’vi River Journey and the immersive lands of Africa and Asia, we break down the must-do attractions and timing tips to help you maximize your visit.

Disney Animal Kingdom Episode Highlights:

• Rope drop strategy and morning planning tips
• Pandora ride strategy
• Best times for Kilimanjaro Safaris animal sightings
• Must do rides
• How to beat the heat
• DinoLand USA closure and future updates

Hotels near Disney World we recommend:

• Signia by Hilton – Includes a free shuttle to/from the park
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort – Family friendly, huge property, nice food court
• Caribe Royal – Great pool and price

There’s a lot more things to do in Orlando outside of Disney World, check out our curated Viator Experiences List for our best recommendations.

Check out our episodes on EPCOT,Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disney, and our comparison episode Rating all the Disney Parks Episode,

Find a great flight deal to Orlando by signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium and get flight deals sent straight to your inbox. Use our promo code TSP to get $20 off your first year subscription. We have tons more Disney travel content!

Animal Kingdom 101 – Episode Transcript

0:34

Insurance and get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hello fellow travelers.

Hey, Squatty.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad podcast.

Today we’re taking you with us to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, which is one of four different parks that is part of the Walt Disney World complex in Orlando, FL.

0:57

And if you know us, you know that we love Disney.

And last year, Jamal and I knocked off our goal of visiting all of the Disney parks in the world.

And we’ve been to Animal Kingdom before, but the first time Jamal and I visited was 12 years ago ago, so it was time to come back for another visit.

I love this park because there’s enough to do, but not so much that it feels overwhelming.

1:16

And I love that it’s like fun, relaxed.

You get to see animals all throughout this park.

I have been once before.

It was about two years ago, and that is my favorite thing about it.

I don’t love rides, I don’t love roller coasters and thrills and all of that, but I do love the animals.

So it’s cool that you get to see both.

1:33

And I think when I went, we finished at around 1:00 or 2:00 PM.

So you’re right, it’s not this big overwhelming park that’s going to take it all out of you all day long.

The irony of it is the park itself is quite large, but you’re right, with the minimal attractions in terms of rides that would keep people busy and occupied all day in line.

1:51

They have them, but not so many.

What you really get to enjoy is really experiencing the animals and of course rides.

But that is one of the unique things that I really do love about Animal Kingdom.

So let’s just get right into it and tell you guys a little bit about Animal Kingdom if you’ve never been before.

2:08

So it opened on Earth Day in 1998 and it’s the fourth and most recent park to open part of the Walt Disney World Complex.

It’s a zoological theme park and was the largest theme park in the world upon opening.

So we said not too large, right?

2:24

But it’s large because one of their attractions acts as an open Savannah and safari.

So taking in consideration that land, this was the largest theme park in the world at time when it had opened and the park was dedicated and themed around around natural environments and animal conservation.

2:41

It is located on the West edge of the Disney property, so it’s a little bit farther of the way out from the other parks, but that’s so that it can minimize disturbances to the animals.

And one thing that they don’t have that some of the other Disney parks have is a nighttime show or a fireworks show or anything loud.

2:58

And this is due to help it protect the animals.

So I did enjoy that aspect of it.

And this park does close earlier on the day that we went and closed at 8:00 PM and they shut down around some of the animal exhibits earlier in the day.

So you don’t see the animals after like 5 or 6:00 PM?

3:13

Squatty’s Before we get into the tips and the details about Animal Kingdom, I just want to remind you about Thrifty Traveler Premium because Disney trips can sometimes be a little expensive.

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3:29

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3:52

Now let’s get into the tips for visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Jamal, you have always said this one and that is to be there at Ropedrop.

What does that even mean?

Well, Ropedrop is really when they finally opened the park to everybody to go and explore and ride the rides.

4:10

Now let’s just say for example, the park opens at 8:00 AM, which when we had gone, the park did open at 8:00 AM.

Disney opens the park early, so to speak, in terms of they start allowing people in through the front gates, but they keep you at a certain section where you can’t explore, you can’t ride, but you could really start piling yourself in there to be ready.

4:31

So rope drop is when they finally just literally drop the rope and allow you to go.

The reason why they do this is because the park is open early for people who have early entry.

We’ll talk a little bit about that more later and how you can get it, but it’s open to everybody to get in and people of the early entry can go and explore before everybody else.

4:52

Everybody else who doesn’t have early entry, you are there literally waiting for the rope to drop.

But I really do feel like you can get two to three big rides and attractions out of the way within the first couple hours before the crowds really set in for the day.

5:08

So it really makes the most of your day to be there right when it’s opened.

I would also say to download the Walt Disney World app before you go.

You can load your tickets in there.

You can.

You’ll obviously have your credit card hooked up to make purchases in there, but you can make reservations through it, which is one of the biggest benefits there.

5:26

You can make reservations for lunch, certain rides.

It’s a big benefit.

When I had gone on this one, I went as part of a work trip and one of my Co workers that came along is just a Disney master and she had the app down.

She had the whole group’s tickets loaded on her app, so she was able to make reservations for everybody.

5:45

We never waited in line for anything.

So if you really study, you really use the app to your advantage.

It can make your day a lot shorter and more efficient and just even more magical.

Yeah, you definitely do need the app, Kim, and that’s a great tip for those reasons that you just mentioned.

But beyond that too, let’s just say you want to know how long a wait time is for a ride before you walk halfway across the park to the complete other side.

6:10

You can see how long the wait times that are, but now everything really is done through the app.

So if you want to buy the Lightning Lane, which used to be the fast pass system that was free, now they charge for it.

And one thing I don’t like about Disney is like every Disney park now has their own different way on how they do Lightning Lane or whatever.

6:31

So the rules and how you can use it are different in Disneyland in California versus in Florida versus other countries that we’ve been.

And they change it.

So we can’t even go into the details here because it might not be accurate by the time you listen.

And that’s exactly what I was going to say is they change it all the time.

6:47

But the one detail that I want to give that I will say, which again caveat and asterisk, they may change.

What I like about it is they let you choose if you do the lightning lane, the multi pass or single pass, you can choose your rides ahead of time before day of park.

7:04

So that’s really cool that you can do that even before you get into the park because sometimes the the other systems make you wait until you’re in the park.

So that’s something cool that at least they do at Disney World, but again, subject to change because they’re always changing how the lightning lane.

Works Another tip for you guys is to wear comfortable shoes.

7:21

We mentioned this is one of the largest Disney parks there is and you’re going to be walking around quite a So wear something comfortable.

And because you are in Florida most of the time it is a little bit hot and humid.

So wear some comfortable, breathable clothing while you’re out there.

And we kind of talked about this earlier about getting in for that early entry.

7:37

The way you can do that is actually if you stay at a Disney hotel, they do now allow, if you’re staying at any Disney hotel on property, you get 30 minutes before park opening.

So going back to the analogy I used, if it opens at 8:00, if you have early entry you would get in at 7:30 and now you have 30 additional minutes to enjoy the park before more of the crowds come for rope drop.

8:02

And not just the Disney properties, but there are Disney affiliated hotels like the Hilton Signia which has a shuttle and gets you earlier access into parks.

Yes, because they do have some independently owned properties because I believe when you went Kim, right, didn’t you say that it’s obviously not owned by Disney, but because it’s on Disney property, it has a special affiliation, but not all independent hotels that are on Disney property have this, but that one does.

8:27

So you could also look into that to see if those are viable options for early entry.

And there are some hotels that aren’t part of the Disney property and are off property that still provide transportation to the parks.

The hotel that we were staying at did provide transportation but only to 1 park and Disney does have a transportation system between parks, but we decided just to park our car.

8:47

We did pay for parking and the parking pass is good all day for any of the parks.

So there’s several ways that you can get to Disney whether you’re staying on property or not.

The Disney transportation system is actually amazing.

Once you get into Disney World, you can travel by boat, by bus.

9:03

I think they have a trolley, tram, train type system that goes.

So that can actually just add to your day, make it a little bit more fun too.

Another piece of advice that we’re going to give, and again, this is subject to change because things change within the park, but as it stands now, the most popular attraction is in Avatar Land and it is their flight of passage.

9:23

So it’s very, very busy.

The crowds, even early in the morning, form long lines for this.

So I would say head straight for this ride.

That way you could knock it out unless you want everybody to go here and then you ride all the other rides and then just decide I’m going to troop it out and wait in line.

9:43

O.

There are a couple options, but do keep in mind that is the most signature attraction right now that everybody really wants to ride Avatar Flight of Assive.

Another tip for you is for the Kilimanjaro Safari ride.

It is an attraction that goes through all of the animals through safari and so it’s better to ride it early or at dusk.

10:03

Because of the cooler temperatures, you’ll more likely see animal movement and activity, so it’s best to ride it either early in the morning or later towards the end of the day.

Midday gets really hot and the animals tend to try to get in the shade and cool down and you won’t see as much movement and activity then.

10:19

And I guess that’s a great statement to lead into our next tip, which is try to plan the indoor attractions for midday heat.

It’s a good time to watch The Lion King show or the Finding Nemo show.

So just kind of keep that in mind that there are some indoor attractions on shows.

10:36

And maybe during that midday heat, that would be the appropriate time to do that for a nice cool off.

Also, don’t sleep on lunch.

There’s a lot of good restaurants in this park, and I think I even going to come out and say it that Animal Kingdom might just have better food than AT Epcot.

10:52

Really.

Really.

A bold statement, I know.

Wow.

What a statement.

Because usually Epcot is the one known to have the delicious food with all the pavilions and even their specialty events that they have going on where they bring in different foods.

So wow.

OK.

11:08

Interesting, Kim.

Well, if you recall what you had, because I know it’s been two years ago, you might have to tell us.

That way we know what to get.

And the drinks?

I had a few good cocktails here at this park too, and I didn’t think that they were out of a reasonable price range.

Everything I ate was good and it does make a great little midday break.

11:27

And if you do need a break from the big attractions, don’t save The Walking trails for last.

Incorporate them throughout your day.

The trails to see the animals close earlier than the rides and there will be signs up.

The day that we were there it said that they were going to be closing them at around 5:30 and the park didn’t close until 8.

11:44

So don’t push seeing the animals and doing The Walking trails to last.

Yes.

And when Brittany says walking trails, of course, some of the animal exhibits, you can kind of just walk right up, like it’s a zoo type situation depending on the animal and in the land.

But some of them are actually attractions themselves and have those big long walking trails.

12:02

Some of them include the gorillas as well as the tiger.

So those are really what Brittany’s referencing when she says The Walking trails, those will close at a certain specific time.

So if you happen to be in that land and have the opportunity, it’s always a good time to do that then.

We actually thought originally that the park was closing at six.

12:20

For whatever reason, the park didn’t close it was until 8:00, but that gave us the opportunity to see Pandora lit up at night.

And I know Kim, you said you only stayed here like half the day, so you probably didn’t see Pandora at night, but it is worth staying around and seeing it all lit up.

12:35

It’s really pretty.

And then riding the river ride at that same time just really adds to the ambience of it.

Yeah, I really liked it because if anyone has seen the movie Avatar, you know, one of the most famous things is the bioluminescent forest that they have.

So the theming around the land at night, they put the black lights on just with multi colors.

12:56

Now you really do feel like you’re in a bioluminescent forest even when you’re not in the attractions, just on the walkways and paths and scenery that they have outside in the land.

So it’s really cool to see it at night.

And while we were there, you do have the option to use Lightning Lane on some of the rides and the attractions, but we didn’t feel like we needed to use that or utilize that this trip.

13:17

Yeah, so we got really lucky on that.

We went on Super Bowl, so maybe lots of people were watching the Super Bowl, but it was still crowded in there.

But definitely we’re able to do it again utilizing rope drop, getting there early and whatnot.

We really didn’t wait longer than an hour for one ride, which was Avatar, and the rest of it was really like no more than 30 minutes and if not a lot quicker than that.

13:38

So good easy Disney Day in that sense in terms of rides, but that’s not always the case.

OK, so you went on Super Bowl just in 2026, so you’re fresh off this trip.

Did you go to Florida specifically for Animal Kingdom?

No, we actually went specifically to Florida to swim with the manatees.

13:56

We actually had a manatee swim book two years ago.

It got cancelled due to a storm.

And so we decided let’s do a redemption trip, go back, let’s add on Animal Kingdom.

And whenever we go to Florida, we always try to.

We was in a Disney park last time we were there.

We went to Epcot.

14:11

So this was time to do Animal Kingdom.

Yeah.

And so when we were there, like we had mentioned, we got to the park at opening which was 8:00.

Again, we got there a little bit before 8.

We were inside the park probably by what 74745 something to that effect.

14:27

So we were really just waiting 15 minutes in the park for rope drop and it closed at 8:00.

But I just want to say something, I don’t know what happened.

Brittany and I were under the assumption that the park was going to be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMI don’t know how we got that.

14:44

We did end up on this trip also going to Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens opened at 10 AM, so maybe we’re thinking about that in our heads.

But I could have sworn I looked and that was the time that it was.

And maybe I didn’t relook.

15:00

And they adjusted their times because of course, they could post the calendar months in advance, which we had this trip scheduled months in advance.

But sometimes they could also change hours, do this and that.

So literally we were like, what time are we going to get there?

It opens at 10:00.

And then Brittany and I started really thinking about it for a second as we’re going to bed and we’re like, let’s just look.

15:19

And thank God we did because it opened at 8.

And I would have been so pissed if we got there at 10:00, two hours after the fact and already the lines and crowds in there.

So I guess real quick before we get further today, another tip, always check online to see the day before what the actual calendar and park operating hours are going to be.

15:37

And if you know Jamal and Disney parks and amusement parks in general, like we have to be there at rope drop.

And I just kind of like take the back seat to all of his planning.

And so I’m like, tell me what we’re going to do today.

I don’t like to do any of the planning for any of the amusement parks or Disney or anything like that.

15:54

So I said, tell me what we’re going to do.

I’m just going to follow you.

So he really wanted to start with both the attractions in the Pandora land themed to Avatar.

Then we wanted to go to Kilimanjaro Safari and we had this whole plan in our head.

But while we were waiting for rope drop, we could see the line for the flight of passage in Pandora that kept just going up and going up.

16:17

And so we had to pivot last minute and it worked out.

It was great.

But you do have to be a little flexible depending on what’s going on in the app.

Yeah, so we did go to Pandora first thing in the morning.

We rode their other ride, which was the Navi River ride that they do have where you take the calm boat ride through the bioluminescent forest.

16:36

But at that point, Flight of Passage was so long.

So he said, let’s do everything else, major attraction.

And then we’ll come back and just say, hey, if we beat everything while everybody’s coming here, then we’ll just tough it out.

And if we have to really wait a long time for one ride, this one will be it.

16:52

And that’s exactly what we did.

But we’re not going to go step by step, minute by minute on what we had done in the park.

Really we want to talk to you about Animal Kingdom.

So we’re going to breakdown the lands, the animals that they have there.

That way you guys are familiar with this park if you haven’t visited.

17:11

So let’s talk about the lands and attractions.

The first land that you enter in is called Oasis.

It’s really the entry to the park.

There are no rides, but it does have shops and a few animal exhibits but through dense vegetation.

So this is deemed a land, but it’s nothing really but an entryway for you.

17:30

But what I do appreciate about it is this is where the theming starts.

Animal Kingdom is a very well themed park in terms of the animal theming, the environments, the lands that you’re in.

You really do feel like you’re immersed.

So when you’re coming into Animal Kingdom in a place like Oasis, you expect it to be kind of that lush green vegetation and you really do feel that.

17:50

And that’s the start of the immersion here into Animal Kingdom.

And after you go through Oasis, you’re going to go to Discovery Island.

It’s in the center of the park.

It’s a central hub to get to all of the other lands, and it features the center icon of the park, which is the Tree of Life.

You can see all the beautiful carvings on it of the animals carved into it later in the day, at night.

18:11

They actually do kind of like a lit up show on the tree of life.

That’s pretty cool to watch as well.

And it’s modeled after a baobab tree.

And if you don’t know what a baobab tree is, it’s a huge tree that lives in Africa and it stores thousands and thousands of gallons of water in it.

18:28

And if you’re actually on Kilimanjaro Safaris, you’ll actually see live baobab trees out there as well.

But it stores all of this water.

And then if animals get really thirsty, they can actually puncture the trunk and get fresh water from it.

So that’s why it’s called the Tree of Life.

18:44

But it’s a really beautiful centerpiece.

And it also features a Zootopia 40 attraction theater beneath the tree as well that we went and saw.

And it’s kind of like the equivalent to A Bug’s Life but Zootopia themed.

And there’s also several exhibits like Kangaroos and otters around this area as well.

19:02

The next one you’ll run into is Pandora, the world of Avatar.

Super, super cool, and it’s a an Avatar themed land inspired by the movies, the movies that continue to come out.

There’s a new one coming out this year.

The land features the fauna and flora that you see in those movies, so you really feel like you’re in it.

19:20

I think it’s one of the coolest parts of this park, next to the animals, of course, so I didn’t get to see it at night.

But you had said that at night there’s black light that shines on the past and illuminates the depictions of those bioluminescent floors.

Yeah, absolutely.

19:36

I really do think this land shines at night.

Like, it’s really beautiful during the day as well, don’t get me wrong.

But during the day when you’re walking on the path, you can see these like very faint colorations and designs that are on the floor.

And I guess I should have known better when I was seeing it.

19:51

I was thinking, oh, what is this for?

But then you go there at night and then obviously that is lit by the black light and then it just really enhances the theming.

Plus you really get a great general theming here outside of the black light because one of the major focal points of this land are the Cloud Force and hanging mountains that they do have an avatar.

20:12

So you really do feel like you are immersed when you are in here.

As cool as the land is, it’s relatively small.

There’s two major attractions and then just really a shop and a restaurant.

But the theming is really good, so it’s fun.

To explore nevertheless.

So there is Avatar Flight of Passage, which is a 3D simulator ride that’s designed to have you feel like you’re flying on the back of the mythical banshees that you see in the film.

20:39

So that was a really cool experience.

I liked it.

I was worried for Brittany because Brittany usually doesn’t like 3D motion simulator things because they give her motion sickness.

How did you handle it, Brittany?

I feel like there was times I did have to close my eyes when you’re free falling down.

20:57

I don’t do well with those parts because they do give you 3D glasses and all of that, but I don’t think it’s the worst, right?

I’ve written that’s caused motion sickness, so just be careful if you get on.

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Yeah, if you can handle it, Kim, then that’s true.

21:13

And apparently you rode one of their other attractions here, which is roller coaster, and you don’t like roller coasters, so I’m proud of you for that one.

So we’ll talk about that when we get to Asia.

But still in Pandora, they have the Navi River journey.

We kind of mentioned this earlier at that dark boat ride through Pandora’s bioluminescent forest.

21:31

We rode this twice, first thing in the morning and towards the evening.

When we went in the evening, it was just starting to get dark.

By the time we got off the ride, it was dark.

So it was nice to come off the dark ride in the forest.

And then now it’s really truly dark.

The black lights are on and the themed area, just paths and everything.

21:50

And it really made that immersion complete for us.

So I do like the Pandora Land but do see it at night but also get it done in the morning as well because these are are the busy busy attractions here.

Africa’s another one of their lands and it’s set in a fictional East African port of Harambe and it resembles local villages like Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda.

22:12

The highlight of this land is the Kilimanjaro Safaris.

So you actually get on a safari tram and you ride through Africa where you can see lions, cheetahs, hippos, rhinos, giraffe, elephants, Crocs, African wild dogs, hyenas, water bucks, antelope, zebra, and a ton of more African plains animals and flora like the baobab tree, and you feel like you’re in a real open wild safari.

22:40

I was surprised at how open it actually is.

These are not enclosures that you’re looking at them through glass.

It’s almost weird because there’s cheetahs and lions and then just over the hill is a pack of giraffes.

Like how do they coexist?

22:56

Yeah, I mean, obviously the predators like those cheetahs and the lions, it looks like it’s open, but they really do have them in enclosures, right?

But just the way they design the terrain, it makes it look like it’s open.

23:12

Those predators are blocked off from everybody else, kind of same with the hippos here.

But all the other animals that aren’t going to eat each other, such as the elephants, the water buck, ostriches, zebras, giraffes, all those ones are really out and about roaming in the open.

23:28

So this ride truly, truly does simulate in the most real way possible.

You’ve been on an African safari without really the constraints of cages, even though some animals clearly are blocked.

But it doesn’t look like that.

And I felt like out of any zoo I’ve been to, I actually saw animals moving around more than I ever have.

23:50

Cheetahs that were walking, lions that were laying and then got up and moved around.

All the giraffes were eating.

Usually you don’t see that at the zoo.

You see them sleeping.

That’s true.

And I will say this about Disney and Animal Kingdom.

Obviously these are animals.

24:05

I don’t want to say they’re wild because clearly they are in captivity, but they are wild animals, so to speak.

You really don’t know what animals are going to do.

But I remember watching something a long, long time ago on Travel Channel when Travel Channel is still a thing, and they did lots of shows on amusement parks.

24:20

And I remember them saying that animal Kingdom, they actually have certain things that are not seen by the guests that actually promote the lions or other animals to be in visible areas, such as, you know, cool blocks of ice for them to lay on or on the hot days or other types of things that just keep them in the forefront, so to speak.

24:43

So that’s probably why you saw more than you would expect at the zoo is because they have their little tricks that kind of try to keep them at the front as much as they can for you for them to be visible.

But I do agree with you.

Why do you feel like they were active?

We saw lions walking around that sat down.

The cheetahs were active as well.

25:00

We actually saw a hippo start to swim in the water.

We didn’t see a croc the first time we went around, but we rode this twice and we saw the Crocs the second time we rode it.

So I feel like we got a good mix of animals.

And the second time we rode it, the giraffes were right on the trail and they were walking right towards us, so they got really close to our safari vehicle.

25:19

So I really like this.

I told Jamal while we were in the park later, like I really want to ride this again.

So that’s why we rode it twice.

And we rode it the second time towards closing and by closing not of the park, but when they shut down Kilimanjaro Safaris, which was at 5:30.

So I think we rode around like 445 five towards the end.

25:37

So really kind of going with the tips that we mentioned earlier, ride it at the first part of the day and towards the end, because I really do think you get the best animal sightings during that time.

Coming right off of the ride, you’ll actually see the Grill Falls Exploration Trail, and you can go through a jungle environment to see the lowland gorillas, bats, monkeys, mole rats.

25:57

We actually saw the mole rats and I’ve never been super interested in them before, but there was a cast member there who was telling us all about the mole rats and like how they live in their colonies and what they do.

And we saw two mole rats fighting it out because one was going to become the queen.

26:13

And it was just really super interesting to have that perspective from her.

And we really enjoyed this trail.

We could see the gorillas move around E and they were pretty active that day as well.

So make sure you’re going on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.

26:29

I just want to say to Brittany, the mole rats were awesome.

Don’t think that we just saw them like in a little glass container or anything.

Imagine when you see the clear beehives where you could see how bees are on the inside, or when people have like the glass and you can actually see like an Ant colony.

26:48

This was several feet high, like up to like 7-8 feet high of clear glass sections where you can see the mole rat colony simulated as if they are underground where they really live.

So they have their areas where it’s like the kitchen sleeping areas.

27:04

And they say that they move it really all the time.

So they have the animal keepers that are there at these exhibits that you could always ask questions to.

But it was actually quite fascinating.

But obviously the highlight of this is the gorillas.

But yeah, the little animals don’t just skip them over because if they have the cast workers that are there, ask them about it because you learn so much and it’s really fascinating.

27:26

Another thing you have to hit in Africa is the festival of The Lion King.

It’s one of those indoor shows that’s great for midday when you want a break from the heat.

Air conditioned inside.

It’s a big darkroom, huge performance.

Not a bad seat in the house because of the circular design and how they move the fake animals that come out and do the performances.

27:46

Like it could be more targeted towards children but I loved it.

We did it after lunch and it was a good after lunch break and it’s it’s a fun time in there.

Britney loves the shows.

I mean this one, I mean, I love to watch Disney shows too.

This one, I’m not going to sit here and say it’s my favorite.

It’s honestly not.

28:02

But for the I’m glad you ladies both liked it.

But I agree, it is a good place to go sit down, unwind and it is enjoyable.

But I mean, I’ve just seen at Disney’s California Adventure, the Aladdin Show and that is like Broadway production level.

28:18

This one here is not well.

They have fire dancers, they have acrobatic performers jumping around and doing things.

They have beautiful costumes.

This is true.

I think where I’m saying that is because, like you said, there’s no bad seat.

It’s in a small environment.

So I think because it’s in a smaller environment, they have less capability to make it more showy, but they still make it very showy.

28:39

It is a good show no doubt, but just not one of my favorites, but nevertheless still a marquee attraction within the park in the section of Africa.

Moving on into Asia, Asia is themed to invoke the trails of Cambodia, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Tibet and China.

28:56

So you’re getting a lot more of the Asian flair over here.

And the biggest, baddest ride that they have in this area that I did go on is Expedition Everest.

What did you think of it before?

We say what it is for the people who don’t know because you are not a roller coaster person.

29:13

What did you think of it, Kim?

I thought it it had some scary parts of it, but it’s not a super long ride so it’s over before you know it.

But I had to find time on it.

I did not choose to ride it the second time with the group that I went with though.

29:28

So this one wasn’t like Tron for you when we’re in Shanghai Disney where we re rode and re rode.

This one was a one and done for you.

Right.

Yes.

OK well I do love Expedition Everest so of course you can hear in the name Everest like from Mount Everest.

So this roller coaster is a ride through the Himalayan mountain.

29:45

And of course, the theming of this ride is that it’s guarded by the elusive and mythical Yeti, who is the protector of the mountain.

So of course, you have a roller coaster ride going to the top of the mountain on a train, then you encounter the Yeti who’s trying to protect it, and then you’re escaping and getting down from the mountain.

30:04

So we rode this twice.

I think it’s a very good ride.

But like you said, Kim, it is relatively short.

It’s over before you know it, but definitely still worth the wait because this does have unique features and is a cool ride.

I do think the theming in Asia is really beautiful.

30:20

Like walking through what looks like you’re going to Mount Everest is really cool.

We were actually there on the day that my dad and his girlfriend were in Nepal.

So I got to send them a picture saying like, oh, here’s our view of Everest.

And they were kind of laughing about that.

30:36

But there’s more to this area than just expedition Everest, even though that is the highlight.

They do have the Cali River Rapids.

It’s a River Rapid ride, but the day that we went, it was actually pretty cold in Florida and Jamal and I didn’t want to get super wet.

We saw people getting soaked on the ride, so we chose not to ride the Rapids this day.

30:54

Oh that’s too bad.

I love that ride.

I know Rapids are so much fun, but it was it was actually really cold in Florida and we needed to wear pants and a jacket.

I really did take my jacket off all day.

I mean, that’s how cold it was for Florida, so I didn’t really want to get wet.

31:12

We had the talk of like, should we ride it at night?

Maybe the last thing that we do, but then you really won’t get to see too much of the attraction because Kali River Rapids, of course, is a rapid ride, but it’s through a lush environment with the tail of deforestation and logging that takes place in these types of animal environment.

31:32

So there’s actually like a moral story with it.

But it is a really good ride and I remember riding at the first time that we were at Animal Kingdom and it’s very enjoyable.

Another attraction here in Asia.

This one is one of the main ones.

It’s going to be the Maharaja jungle Trek.

31:49

And this leads visitors through forests and ruins of a village where you can see animals such as tigers, the long tailed macaque, Komodo Dragons and bird species.

So themed really well.

And of course, seeing the big tigers, I think it’s just really fun, really cool.

32:06

And this is one of those ones that Brittany was talking about earlier.

This track closes early as well, so be sure to do it when you’re in this section of the land versus having to come back for it.

The last major attraction in the Asia area is the Finding Nemo musical.

32:22

We didn’t watch it this time.

We’ve watched it previously before, but it’s a live action musical stage show.

It’s more catered towards kiddos so it can be fun for them, but we decided to skip it this time around.

Did you watch it, Kim?

Yes, I did.

And if it’s your first time in the park, you got to hit it.

32:37

Of course, it’s like, again, we’re about to talk about the last land and coming up, which we haven’t mentioned, but you can hear how many rides that we talked about, which again, big ticket attraction rides.

There are not that many in the park.

Really what you enjoy in this park is the animals, the theming.

32:54

So Finding Nemo and The Lion King are like marquee shows an attraction.

So they are something that you need to do.

But like we said, this time we just didn’t really feel the need to do it, but it is worth seeing.

So the last land that we want to talk about that this park has actually was recently closed.

33:14

It was Dinoland USA, and it closed within the week that we arrived.

So they already had the boarding up and we couldn’t get into this land.

But of course, you can imagine what this was themed to.

It was themed to extinct animals, more particularly dinosaurs.

33:32

Now the main attraction that they had here was called Dinosaur and it’s the same type of ride vehicle that you can expect on the Indiana Jones rides if you’re familiar with those.

But they are closing this land and it’s going to reopen as scheduled for now and 2027 as Tropical Americas.

33:52

So they’re really going to retheme the whole land to the Tropical Americas and will feature an attraction themed to Encanto.

And Dinosaur is actually going to be overlaid with a new Indiana Jones style ride that’s unique and completely different than all of the other Indiana Jones rides that are and Disney parks around the world.

34:12

So this one is going to have a unique theme to it.

So I’m excited for the next time we go back.

Maybe this won’t be the first Disney park that we go back to Animal Kingdom, but rest assured, one of these days we’re going to see Tropical Americas here.

So the parks are always changing.

34:28

Jamal’s really hoping that they have some cool animals from the Americas like Jaguars, and we saw signs up for what this land should look like.

Once it’s opened.

It does look like it’s going to be very beautiful, so I can’t wait to go back and see the new when it once it opens.

Yeah, if they don’t have animals in here in Animal Kingdom, and it’s just a couple of tractors, like I know what we said, but there’s not really lots of rides and they’re going to make two big ones in here.

34:51

But I feel like you need animals from the Americas in here.

And Jaguars would be really cool to add some more big cats to the park and of course, other animals that you would expect to maybe see in the rainforests of the Americas or wherever, right?

35:06

So there’s lots of potential here and I’m hoping they make the best of it.

Overall, we think it’s a great park with great theming.

It’s a very immersive environment.

But we’ve mentioned before it lacks a bunch of big ticket right attractions in comparison to the other Disney parks.

But on the plus side, you can get done with it pretty quickly.

35:23

So if you want to hop over to another park, that’s a possibility.

And we do have an episode where we rank all of the Disney parks in the world, and Animal Kingdom currently ranks #5 on our list.

So be sure to listen to that episode and see where the other parks land in our rankings.

My last recommendation for you would be because there is not a fireworks so that happens right over this park like in some of the others.

35:44

If you don’t stay till the very end and and see Pandora at night, you do get out of there a little bit early.

Take a boat over to another Disney resort, maybe to one of the tropical resorts that has the beach, and you can take that boat for free over to the other Disney park and catch the fireworks from there.

36:01

Good tip.

I’m assuming you did that when you had gone, Kim Yes.

Yes, and it was a good option there.

So either way, you’re going to have an amazing time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Squaddies, thank you so much for tuning into our episode this week.